Southern California -- this just in

Beverly Hills police investigate death of hearse driver

August 13, 2012 | 7:07
pm

The driver of a hearse heading to a funeral with a body in a casket was found dead behind the wheel of the vehicle near the Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday afternoon.

About 3 p.m., Beverly Hills police were called to the hearse, parked near the hotel on Crescent Drive, north of Sunset Boulevard, after a passerby reported a person slumped behind the wheel, according to a statement from the department.

Officers determined the body to be that of a woman. No foul play was suspected in her death.

Police were still investigating where the driver was headed.

Neither the name of the mortuary, nor of the driver or the body in the casket, were immediately released.